* Once Imam Sadiq (pbuh) came to Al-Mansour, and there was an Indian doctor reading out of a medicine book. Imam (pbuh) listened to him. And when the Indian finished, he told Imam Sadiq (pbuh): O Aba Abdellah, do you want anything of what I have (of knowledge).
Imam (pbuh): No, it is that I have what is better than what you have.
Indian: and what is it?
Imam (pbuh): I cure the hot with is cold, and the cold with what is hot; and the wet with what is dry, and the dry with what is wet. And I relate it all back to Allah and use what had the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said : the stomach is the house of the disease, and diet is the cure. And I train the body to what it is used to.
Indian: is that what is medicine all about?
Imam (pbuh): did you see that I took this from the books of medicine?
Indian: yes.
Imam (pbuh): No, By Allah, I took nothing but from Allah Almighty. So tell me, who has more knowledge in medicine, me or you?
Indian: No, I have more knowledge.
Imam (pbuh): then I will ask you something.
Indian: ask.
Imam (pbuh): tell me Indian, why is the hade made into parts?
Indian: I don’t know
Imam (pbuh): why is the hair on top of it?
Indian: I don’t know
Imam (pbuh): why is the forehead free of hair?
Indian: I don’t know
Imam (pbuh): why was it lined and ?
Indian: I don’t know
Imam (pbuh): why are the eyebrows above the eyes?
Indian: I don’t know
Imam (pbuh): why are the eyes like the almonds?
Indian: I don’t know
Imam (pbuh): why is the nose in between the eyes?
Indian: I don’t know
Imam (pbuh): why is the opening of the nose at its bottom?
Indian: I don’t know
Imam (pbuh): why are the moustache and the lip above the mouth?
Indian: I don’t know
Imam (pbuh): why are the incisors sharp, and the molars wide, and the canines tall?
Indian: I don’t know
Imam (pbuh): why do men have beards?
Indian: I don’t know
Imam (pbuh): why are the palms free of hair?
Indian: I don’t know
Imam (pbuh): why is the heart like the pine cone?
Indian: I don’t know
Imam (pbuh): why are the lungs two parts, and why do they move in their place?
Indian: I don’t know
Imam (pbuh): why is the liver stooping?
Indian: I don’t know
Imam (pbuh): why is the kidney like the kidney bean?
Indian: I don’t know
Imam (pbuh): why do the knees bend backwards?
Indian: I don’t know
Imam (pbuh): why is the foot not flat?
Indian: I don’t know
Imam (pbuh): but I know.
Indian: then answer.
Imam (pbuh): the head was made into parts, because if what is hollow weren’t divided into parts, then it would ache quickly. And so if it were made into parts, then it would be far from aching. The hair is above the head so that lipids enter the head from where it is connected to it, and the vapor would exit from its extremities. And it would protect the head from hot and cold. The forehead is free of hair because it is inlet of light into the eyes. And it is lined to hold back the sweat from reaching the eyes. It is like the rivers that hold the water on earth. The eyebrows are made above the eyes to reflect the excessive light away from the eyes. O Indian, don’t you see that who is overwhelmed with light, puts his hand over his eyes so that it reflects light and keeps what is enough. And the nose was made in the middle so that it splits light into two equal halves for the eyes.
The eyes are like almonds, so that the cataracts would flow with drug in it, and the disease would defect out of it. And if it was squared or circled, cataracts wouldn’t flow, and so the drug won’t reach it and the disease wouldn’t be defected out.
The hole of the nose is at the bottom, so that the diseased fluids would exit from the brain downwards and out of it, and the air rises to the smelling buds. And if it had been at the top, the fluids wouldn’t exit, and one would not smell.
The lip and the moustache were made above the mouth so that it holds back from the mouth what comes down from the brain, so that he won’t taste bitterness when eating or drinking and thus he would feel upset.
The beard was made for men, so that it would be easy to differentiate between males and females. The incisors are sharp, because it is the base of the bite. The molars are wide, because it is responsible for grinding, and the canines are tall so that it holds the incisors and molars. Like the pillar in a building.
The palms are free of hair, because touch is by its means. Since if it was with hair, one wouldn’t know what is he touching. The hair and nails are void of life, because they are ugly when tall, and nice when short. And so if there were life in it, it would hurt to cut it.
The heart is like a pine cone because it is degenerative, and so its head was made pointed so that it enters in between the lungs and so it would cool down with its coldness or else the brain would melt because of its heat. The lungs were made as two parts so that the heart is held in between and so it is relieved by the lungs movements. The liver is stooping so that it provides more weigh to the stomach, and so the weight of the liver would force the stomach to squeeze and then what is in of vapor would exit.
The kidney was made like the kidney bean, because it is the semen is dropped drop by drop. So if it were squared or circled, it would hold the drops together. Since semen is dropped from the vertebrae of the back to the kidneys, and it is like the warm, contract and then expand thus throwing the drops one by one to the bladder like the nut in the bow.
And the knees were made to bend backwards, since humans walk towards before their hands and thus the movement is balanced. Or else one would fall while walking. The feet were made not flat, for that if the feet were flat, the force of walking would all combine on the ground and it would be like the weigh of building stones.
Then the Indian said: where did you get this knowledge from?
Imam (pbuh) : I took it from my forefathers (pbuh) from the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), from Jibraeel, from the Lord of all realms who created the bodies and souls.
Then the Indian said: you said the truth and I testify that there is no God but Allah, and that Mohammad is the Messenger of Allah and his servant, and that you are the most knowledgeable of your time.
